Time-burning railway signal-fusee



- UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

LOUIS S. BOSS, OF NEWTONVILLE, MASSACHUSETTS.

TIME-BURNING RAILWAY SIGNAL-FUSEE.

No Drawing. Original application filed August 29, 1916, Serial No.

tion filed September 20,

To all whom it may comer-1t: Be it lmown that I, LOUIS S. Rose, a c1t1- zen of the United States, and a resldent of Newtonville, in the county of Middlesex and State of Massachusetts, have invente d an Improvement in Time: Burmng Railway Signal-Fusees, of which the following de-' Railway fusees which are designed as sig-' nals to be thrown from the end of a moving train or to be placed on the track at the rear of the train or otherwise are made of a mixture of chemicals, including usually a chlo-- rate or perchlorate, sulfur, carbonaceous material, and some oxidizing metallic nltrate, which burns with a colored flame. The 1nredients are mixed and packed in a stout fiber or paper tube. In order that my invention may be readily understood, I give here a typical formula of a fusee, which formula is taken from my Patent No. 1,059,214,

dated April 15, 1913. It will beunderstood,

however, that my invention is not in any way limited to the exact character or proportions of ingredients set forth in this formula, and that I simply quote it here by way of example and in order to facilltate comprehension of my invention.

Metallic nitrate 72 parts.

Sulfur 12 Hydrocarbon 6' Potassium perchlorate 12 F usees at the present time are made in most substantial quantities without the use of a chlorate, a perchlorate, belng substltuted in general practice.

Specification of Letters Patent.

1917. serialNo. 192,335.

Patented Nov. 23, 1920. 117,551.

as described and heretofore manufactured fulfil these requirements in so far as they relate to easy ignition, brilliancy and force of flame under adverse conditions, but they are sub ect to deteriorating influences when kept due to the chemicals absorbing moisture. This is particularly noticeable during the summer months with high humidity? conditions.

One 'cause of deterioration is that the metallic nitrate which constitutes a large pro portion of the charge of the fusee is very deliquescent, particularly nitrate of strontium which is used in making red fusees,

while nitrate of barium is used in making green fusees, or sodium salts in making yel- Divided and this a ncalow fusees, and when the fusee stands will absorb water from the air and impair the quality of the pyrotechnic mixture. It has been attempted to protect the charge from moisture by paraflining the outer paper cas ing of the fusee but this operation lacks the neeessary efliciency and is expensive to carry on Another cause of deterioration in these mixtures is the fact that when chlorate is used instead of perchlorate or even when mixed with perchlorate, that the chlorate and sulfur will re-act upon each other when subjected to dampness and spontaneous ignition results.

The danger of chlorate mixtures with sulfur has been long recognized by railroads, due to the danger of spontaneous ignition and the Bureau of Explosives in its specifications limits their use by the following rule: F usees containing sulfur must not contain more than 2.6% of potassium chlorate or an equivalent amount of any other chlorate. Fusees containing chlorates in any quantity must not contain any ammonium salts.-

The danger has long been known and was overcome in some degree by the addition of ananti-acid or neutralizing agent to the chlorate sulfur mixtures, as described in Patent No. 1,019,190 dated March 5, 1912. The present bureau specifications on fusees require the use of a perchlorate which is somewhat-less eflicient and more expensive than the chlorate.

My invention proposes to overcome the danger of spontaneous ignition whether the fusee is made in whole or only in part with chlorate. The danger of spontaneous comity' of the air, particularly in moist climates,

the fusee which burns the required time with brilliancy and force of flame when first made will absolutely fail to give an easily distinguishable signal when subjected to moist storage conditions for even a few weeks and in many cases the moisture absorbed is so great as to cause the fusee to extinguish itself due to excessive moisture.

In accordance with my invention, I protect the particles of deliquescent material, such for example, as nitrate of strontium from contact with the air by providing each with a coating which will resist the access of moisture thereto but will not impair the burning qualities of the fusee. For this purpose a suitable fat or wax such as petroleum grease or parafiin may be utilized. This is preferably applied to the materials in the following manner:

The nitrate of strontium or of barium 01' other deliquescent ingredient used is first warmed in a drying pan, steam-j acketed kettle or other device in which it may be thoroughly warmed, and then is mixed mechanically with a small quantity of suitable water-proofing, material such as described and which will not interfere with the burning of the finished product, and until each particle of the nitrate is separately coated with said waterproofing material. In fact the addition of suitable waxy or fatty matter will even improve the burning quality. It will be apparent that by this mixing the various particles of the metallic salt willbe covered with a slight coating which will effectually prevent moisture from the air being taken up thereby.

It has been customary in the manufacture of these devices to add as an ingredient some carbonaceous material, such for example as sawdust treated with grease, the quantity being determined by experiment. Evidently less grease may be used in mixing the sawdust and a corresponding amount utilized in waterproofing the deliquescent salt. The keeping qualities of the fusee will thus be greatly improved without necessarily altering the proportions found by experience to be most advantageous. I have found, however, that the same mixtures can be used together with an additional amount of waterproofing material applied to the deliquescent salts.

I have previouslyreferred to the danger of sulfur and chlorate when in contact with moisture andvin order to prevent interaction of the sulfur and chlorate used which might lead to spontaneous ignition, it is possible to treat the sulfur or the chlorate or both in a. similar manner and I preferably do so. In this case a light coating of inert inflammable material covers the various particles andeffectually insulates one ingredient from: the other and prevents a chemicalreaction from beginning before the fusee is purposely ignited. A coating of waxy or fatty material on the particles of sulfur will also prevent oxidization thereof to initiate acid reactions and I preferably so coat the said sulfur particles. I am thus able to use either chlorate or perchlorate alone or both together in any suitableproportions. In other words, I utilize salt of suitable oxygen and chlorin bearing acids. Where in the claims I refer to a chlorate, I include perchlorates and other chlorates. The coated particles of the nitrate are only coated in a loose condition, permitting the mixing thereof with the other ingredients of the fusee, such as sulfur alid chlorate. Since I have described in so much detail one embodimentof my invention, I should point out that the exact nature and quantity of the ingredients and the exact manner of their treatments as described herein are not essential but merely typical and that what I do claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. A time burning, railway signal fusee comprising in combination; metallic nitrate,

.all the particles whereof are se arately slightly coated with a waterproo ng, inflammable material, thereby preventing the absorption of moisture by said metallic nitrate; sulfur; and a small quantity of chlorate mixed and packed in a suitable tube, said fusee being thereby rendered capable of being kept for a prolonged period without absorbing moisture, deteriorating or impairing the burning qualities of said-ingredients.

2. A time burning, railway signal fusee comprising in combination; metallic nitrate, all the particles whereof are se arately slightly coated with a waterproo ng, inflammable material, thereby preventing the absorption of moisture by said metallic nitrate; sulfur; and a small quantity of a chlorate not exceeding 2.6% of the mixture, said materials being mixed and packed in a suitable tube, said fusee being thereby rendered capable of being kept for a prolonged period without absorbing moisture, deteriorating or impairing the burning qualities of said ingredients.

3. A time burning, railway signal fusee comprising in combination; metallic nitrate, all the particles whereof are separately slightly coated with a small quantity of hydrocarbon, thereby preventing the absorption of moisture by said metallic nitrate; sulfur; and a small quantity of a chlorate, said ingredients being mixed and packed in a suitable tube, said fusee being thereby renderedcapable of being kept for a prolonged period without absorbing moisture,

deteriorating or impairing the burning qualities of said ingredients.

4. A time burning, railway signal fusee comprising in combination; metallic nitrate, all the particles whereof are separately slightly coated with a small quantity of paraflin, thereby. preventing the absorption of moisture by said metallic nitrate; sulfur; and a small quantity of a chlorate, said ingredients being mixed and packed in a suitable tube, said fusee being thereby rendered capable of being kept for a prolonged period without absorbing moisture, deteriorating or impairing the burning qualities of said ingredients.

5. A time burning railway signal fusee comprising in combination; metallic nitrate, I

alltheparticleswhereofareseparatelyslightly coated with a small quantity of hydrocarbon, thereby preventing the absorption of moisture by said metallic nitrate;'sulfur; and a small quantity of a chlorate the particles of said chlorate being also separately slightly coated with hydrocarbon, said ingredients being mixed and packed in a suitable tube, said fusee being thereby rendered capable of being kept for a prolonged period without absorbing moisture, deteriorating or im airing the burning qualities of said ingredients.

6. A time burning railway signal fusee comprising in combination; metallic nitrate,

all the particles whereof are separately slightly coated with a Waterproofing, inflammable material, thereby preventing the absorption of moisture by said metallic nitrate; sulfur; and a small quantity of chlorate, said ingredients being mixedand packed in a suitable tube, said fusee being thereby rendered capable of being kept for a prolonged period without absorbing moisture, deteriorating or impairing the burning qualities of said ingredients.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification.

LOUIS s. ROSS. 

